Monthly Archives: November 2014

This past weekend (Nov 22-23, 2014) I made my way to VA Comicon in Richmond, VA and I had a FANTASTIC time. This was the second year of VA Comicon doing a two day show, after almost 30 years of doing single afternoon shows. I went to 2013’s 2-Day VA Comicon and it was a lot of fun, but this year was bigger and better in every imaginable way. The Exhibitor hall was bigger and better arranged, they had a better set up for panels, there were more panels, and just overall there was a lot more to see and do. If making it to central Virginia isn’t super hard I highly recommend coming out to VA Comicon’s 2-Day cons, even if just for one of the days, pretty sure you’ll be happy.

– Found out about a wonderful webcomic called Time for Hugs by Scott Markley. The comic’s about Death’s younger brothers Unconscious and Itchy, and Unconscious’ quest to become stronger than his older brother Death. Hijinks ensue. Got to talk to Scott for a while and I can confirm that the’s he’s a pretty swell dude.

– The great Steve Rude also attended the con to give two fantastic art demonstrations! It was really exhilarating watching him work. And the wisdom he imparted on me, and everyone he talked to, just truly inspiring. I also had the incredible fortune to be able to talk to Steve at his table on the show floor for a few minutes. He’s just a genuinely wonderful person to be around and talk to. So much positivity.

– Finally picked up David A. Landis’ Desktop Gremlins Vol. 1, which is a great papercraft book full of cute, easy-to-assemble paper sculptures. I’ve been eying it for a few cons now, finally went ahead and grabbed one.

– Sat in on the podcast recording of TV and webshow, the Fantastic Forum. The panel they did for the podcast was really great discussion, thus I’ve started catching up on all their episodes that are available online.

– Within VA Comicon was a mini anime con, organized by Anime Mid-Atlantic! Called AMA 1/2: Third Strike, they had their own section of the exhibition hall, their own cosplay show, and their own block of panel content. It was really great seeing AMA back in Richmond, even if in a limited capacity. I just hope it was a successful arrangement for both AMA and VA Comicon, because I’d LOVE to see AMA 1/2 be a permanent fixture of VA Comicon.

Sadly there were dozens and dozens and hundreds of great artists and people that I don’t have the space or time to mention. It was a great weekend at a great con with a great atmosphere. Something I noticed really strongly at VA Comicon was just a general air of niceness and positivity. It was just about a couple thousand anime and comic and video game and sci-fi and fantasy and horror fans gathering to love their hobbies, together. The crowd was diverse and varied in every way imaginable and everyone just seemed happy to be there. And honestly, being a part of that was something I needed. There’s been a lot of negativity flaring up in various geek and nerd centric communities on the internet, and sometimes you need a reminder that the internet isn’t quite real life.